Atomic layer deposition is known as a method for depositing a monolayer of target material. Atomic layer deposition differs from for example chemical vapour deposition in that atomic layer deposition takes at least two consecutive process steps (i.e. half-cycles). A first one of these self-limited process steps comprises application of a precursor gas on a substrate's surface. A second one of these self-limited process steps comprises reaction of the precursor material in order to form the monolayer of target material. Atomic layer deposition has the advantage of enabling excellent if not ideal layer thickness control. However, atomic layers are essentially thin. As a result, application of atomic layer deposition for depositing layers with a certain thickness larger than about 10 nanometers usually is rather time-consuming, because numerous atomic layers need to be stacked for obtaining such a layer thickness.
WO2007/106076 describes a method of atomic layer deposition wherein a substrate is mounted on a drum. This drum is rotated along a nozzle that supplies a precursor gas. In this way, multiple layer atomic layers can be deposited in a rather short time. However, the method of WO2007/106076 can only be applied on a substrate that has a length equal to or smaller than a circumference of the drum. In addition, the time necessary for mounting the substrate to the drum may at least partly or even completely undo the time gained by rotating the substrate rapidly along the nozzle.